Chapter Ten
The abandoned Ember Island summer home proved to be an excellent hideout. Aang spent the following days alternating between sound, earth, and fire, and the courtyard proved to be the perfect training ground. Scorch marks tattooed the upturned dirt. The landscape had completely changed from the flat patch of land it once was.
Aang was showing improvement in all areas. He was learning to break through the mental barriers Moria put up against his soundwaves, but they both knew the Fire Lord's resolve would be much stronger than anything Moria could ever put up. Still, feeling his mental probe dig deeper into her mind each day proved that he was gaining strength, and she was proud. Even though the Fire Lord was a force to be reckoned with, if just one thing she taught Aang helped, she would be satisfied.
On a sunny afternoon, Moria sat on the splintered porch steps while Aang played rock-catch with Toph and picked gently at the strap of her shoe. She frowned as she noticed one of the leather straps was beginning to pull loose from the base. Soon it would completely snap off and the shoe would be useless. Her heart sank at the thought.
As she was struggling to accept the fact that her precious shoes were bound to wear out eventually, Sokka stepped out of the old house with a piece of parchment paper in hand.
"We're almost out of food. I'm going into town to get supplies," he announced. "Who wants stuff?"
Moria looked up at him as Katara approached to add to the list. "Could I go with you?"
Sokka shrugged. "Sure. But we should keep our groups small to avoid drawing attention to ourselves."
"That's the smartest thing I ever heard you say," Toph chided before turning to Katara. "Add some bandages to that list. Twinkle Toes here is going to need them."
Katara nodded and added Toph's request. "Don't forget to wear your Fire Nation clothes."
Moria quirked a brow. "You have Fire Nation clothes?"
A sly smirk slowly spread across Sokka's features. "We…acquired them on our journey."
Katara rolled her eyes. "You could borrow some of mine, Moria."
She glanced down at her red silks tied expertly into a breezy halter dress. "I think I'll blend in okay."
Sokka checked the list over, nodding to himself. After a moment, he looked up with a grin. "Okay, who's got the money?"
Katara rolled her eyes and pulled the money pouch from her pocket, placing into Sokka's waiting palm.
Moria stood and kicked lightly at the step, frowning at how loose her shoe had become. "Do you mind if I take a little to get my shoe repaired?"
Katara gave her a gentle smile. "Of course. That money is for all of us."
"Then you won't mind if I get some fire flakes for myself?" Sokka grinned. "Oh, and some fire gummies? Can't forget about the fire crunchies. Or-."
Suki scoffed and grabbed Sokka by the arm before giving Katara a knowing look. "Don't worry, I'll keep him in line."
"You better," Katara sighed.
The dirt path to the town square was old and rutted from years of disuse. Quietly, Moria slipped her shoes off and held them in her hand as she walked with Sokka and Suki. The earth felt good and warm beneath her bare feet, but it was nothing compared to the wonderful sands of her island's beaches.
"Why not just get a new pair of shoes if those are breaking?" Sokka asked.
Moria frowned and ran her thumb along the soft leather. "These aren't just any old pair of shoes," she explained quietly. "My…my betrothed made them for me."
Sokka and Suki both stopped dead in their tracks and turned to give Moria twin quizzical looks.
"I had no idea you were engaged," Suki said slowly.
"I suppose I can't really say that I am anymore." Moria fingered her cockle shell necklace with her free hand. "But he was a leatherworker, and he made these shoes just for me…special…because he always said I have big feet."
Sokka glanced down. "I guess they are kind of big for a-."
Suki clapped a hand over his mouth. "Don't finish that thought." She turned to Moria and offered a smile. "I can see why they would be so special. I guess that's a betrothal necklace then?"
Moria nodded and turned it over so the sparkling mosaic could be seen. While Suki marveled at the intricate details, Moria caught Sokka sneaking peaks at the design. Once she was sure both had gotten a good look, she turned it back over to face her heart. "His name was Taka."
"You must miss him," Suki said sympathetically.
"Very much."
Moria kept her hand over the shell as they walked, and soon the old path opened up to a bustling town square filled with shops, food vendors, and children running about. She spotted a leatherwork shop right away and split off from Sokka and Suki as they went to the food stalls.
The poignant smell of freshly tanned leather hit her the moment she stepped through the threshold, and the wave of nostalgia that washed over her was so strong that for a moment all she could do was hold onto the doorway and stare down at the floor. Hundreds of memories flooded through her, and she trembled lightly as tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Miss? Are you all right?"
She looked up, half expecting to see Taka standing behind the counter, face lit up with his oversized smile, but the man in the shop was nothing like her lost love. Young, but short. Black hair pulled into a tight topknot. Light amber eyes. It was enough to bring Moria back to reality and she let out a slow breath.
"Yes, I'm sorry. The smell is just…strong."
The man laughed. "You get used to it over time. Can I help you with something?"
Moria nodded and placed the damaged shoe on the counter. "The strap is loose here. See? Do you think you could fix it?"
The man picked up the shoe and examined it closely. He pulled at the strap, mumbled under his breath, and nodded. "This is some fine craftsmanship. You must be wearing these a lot for the strap to come loose like this."
"They're really the only shoes I wear," Moria admitted.
"Can't blame you. They look custom. Like they were made for you."
She lowered her head. "They were."
"You can't take it to the one who made them?"
"I'm afraid not."
He nodded again and scratched his chin. "I can fix this up for you. It looks like an easy repair. If you want, I can reinforce the straps to try and keep this from happening again."
"I would like that," Moria agreed.
He placed the shoe back on the counter and began writing up a receipt. "You know, I feel almost apprehensive to be messing with these. The person who made them looks to be much more skilled than I am."
"I'm sure you can do it," Moria assured him. "I'd like to keep them for as long as possible."
"Well, I'll do my best," the man said with a smile. "Two copper pieces for now, and three when the job is done. I can have them ready tomorrow afternoon. Sound good?"
"That's fine," Moria said as she placed the money on the counter.
"Will you be all right without shoes for a while?"
"I normally prefer it that way," Moria admitted with a light smile. She ducked out of the shop, receipt in hand, and scanned the square for her companions.
Even in their Fire Nation clothes, the couple was easy to spot. They were standing by the island's bulletin post, Suki holding bags of supplies and Sokka was excitedly waving a flier in her face. He was nearly bouncing with excitement while a clearly annoyed Suki was doing her best to maintain composure.
With a raised brow, Moria approached and asked, "What's going on?"
"Look at this!" Sokka cried, all but shoving the flier in Moria's face.
She wrinkled her brow and took it from him so she could get an actual look at what had him so excited. The flier was an advertisement for a play – The Boy in the Iceberg – and Moria grimaced at the crudely depicted caricatures of the team, herself included.
"What on earth is this?" Moria mused.
"It's a play!" Sokka declared the obvious. "And it's about us! We have to see it!" He grabbed Suki by the wrist and began pulling her back towards the path. "Come on, let's tell the others!"
"Nobody is going to want to see this," Moria argued as she followed behind.
Suki looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. "I've already tried that. There's no stopping him now. We're going to see a play, it seems."
The rest of the gang was as unenthused about the production as Moria and Suki, but Sokka's ardent demands drowned out even Zuko's warnings that the Ember Island Players were mediocre actors at best. And so, the small group put on their Fire Nation clothes and prepared to head out for an evening at the theater.
They walked back to the square at twilight, Moria wearing a borrowed pair of Suki's sandals and doing her best to hide her discomfort as the straps dug into her feet. The theater was packed despite the Players shoddy reputation and the gang was forced to sit the nosebleeds, much to Toph's dismay.
Moria watched as Zuko dropped into the seat beside Katara just before Aang had a chance to sit. She could see the young airbender was about to pick a fight over it, so she quickly took his wrist and led him to the next row.
"Let's sit here. We can practice feeling the sound vibrations. It's much easier to do it the higher you are, you know."
Aang gave her a skeptical look but reluctantly followed.
They all took their seats and Moria looked around at her friends. Toph leaned forward, gripping the balcony railing in anticipation. Katara and Zuko sat close together, their arms nearly touching. Sokka had has arm draped casually around Suki's shoulders. Aang's arms were crossed over his chest as he waited for the curtain to rise. It hit Moria then that this was truly the first normal thing they had done together. Just a group of friends going to see a play, hanging out, eating snacks. She missed normalcy. She missed just being a teenager enjoying her freedoms, and she was certain her friends did as well. They were still young, and yet a huge responsibility weighed down on their shoulders. She was profoundly grateful that they could just be themselves for the night.
The curtain rose and a hush washed over the audience. The actors depicting Sokka and Katara came on the stage and Moria's stomach dropped. This was going to be bad.
She watched as her friends cringed at their portrayals, save for Sokka and Toph who seemed to be finding the whole thing hilarious, and dreaded the moment her character was due to enter. She learned exaggerated things about her friends' journeys that she had not been told about, and occasionally looked to Aang for confirmation. He only gave short nods and covered his face in return. She could see that his discomfort was turning to anger as Zuko and Katara's characters grew close beneath Ba Sing Se, and before Moria could reach out to stop him, he had risen and stormed out of the theater with Sokka calling after him to bring back snacks.
The intermission came soon after and Katara glanced back at Moria with a frown.
"He was upset, wasn't he?"
"He sure seemed to be," Moria confirmed.
"Maybe I should go talk to him…"
Katara got up and followed Aang's path out of the theater while Moria stood and stretched. Zuko seemed to be in an odd mood, and he wondered out to the hall with Suki and Sokka, who was grumbling about not yet getting his snacks.
"Man, Twinkle Toes sure is mad," Toph remarked, resting her feet on the railing.
"You could tell?" Moria asked.
"I can always tell," Toph humbly informed her. "You know what else I can tell? Sparky was trying real hard not to hold Sugar Queen's hand during that last scene. I kept feeling his hand twitch and then he chickened out every time. Talk about a letdown."
Moria snickered and glanced at the door. "I should check on them. Do you want anything?"
"Nah, this play is better than anything I could ever ask for."
Moria cringed and made her way outside. The night was clear and warm, and as Moria approached the doorway, she witnessed Aang lean forward and plant an unwanted kiss on Katara's lips. Moria froze in place and watched as Katara grew angry. Aang, looking just as disgruntled as before, turned on his heel and bolted right past Moria on his way back to the theater. Moria didn't think the airbender even saw her as he rushed by.
With a frown, Moria stepped into the open while Katara groaned and scrubbed at her lips with her wrist.
"Where I come from, that's considered assault, and you can get into a lot of trouble for it."
Katara's shoulders slumped. "I just told him I was confused. He's convinced this play is the truth or something."
"It's pretty bad. But there is a grain of truth in it, isn't there?"
Katara glanced to the side, her eyes locked on the illuminated town square. "I don't know."
"You don't have to know anything right now." Moria stepped beside her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "There's a war going on. It's understandable that you wouldn't want to be focusing on romance right now. Frankly, Aang shouldn't be either."
"I wish he could see that," Katara sighed.
"I think he sees how close you've become with Zuko," Moria said gently.
Katara looked down at her feet. "Like I said, I'm…confused."
"And that's fine. You don't have to figure anything out right now." She gave Katara's shoulder a squeeze. "We should get back inside. I think the intermission is almost over, and I want to get my part over with."
A light smile touched Katara's features. "I guess it's your turn to suffer."
Moria's character was depicted by a tall, busty woman with thick black curls. She wore a white strap around her chest that barely covered anything and a sultry red skirt. This character was portrayed as a Fire Nation defector who served as nothing more than a cheerleader for Team Avatar. Normally, Moria would have been insulted but this play only confirmed that her true identity was still a secret, and for that she was relieved. What insulted her was the sudden change in Actor Zuko's narrative. Suddenly, he was chasing the seductive Moria around the stage like a horndog. All the real Moria could do was bury her face in her hands and wait for the horrible play to end while poor Zuko sunk down in his seat, fists clenched.
It seemed that the Ember Island Players had taken a few creative liberties in the ending of the epic tale, and when both the Actor Zuko and Actor Aang perished, the audience stood and cheered.
"I want to get out of here," Moria moaned into her hands.
"Couldn't agree more," Katara said as she stood.
The gang ducked out of the theater together, heads hanging low as the echoing applause followed them outside. Spirits seemed to be shattered all around, and they walked the dark path back to the summer home in silence.
Aang finally broke the silence as they reached the rearranged courtyard. "Do you really think things will turn out like that?"
Zuko shook his head. "We have to do everything in our power to prevent that from happening."
"All of us," Katara added.
Suki took Sokka's hand. "As long as we stick together, I have confidence in all of us."
"Quite worrying, Twinkle Toes," Toph snickered and swung a friendly punch at Aang's arm. "Get some sleep and we'll train extra hard tomorrow."
"Sure," Aang agreed and kicked at the dirt. He glanced up at Moria and sighed. "How about a song to get our motivation back up?"
"I'll see if I can come up with something." Moria tapped her chin as she thought, and after a moment she opened her mouth and began to sing into the dark night.
"If we work together, join our hearts as one
We will see victory, our battle will be won.
And as we venture on, all hopelessness is gone.
We will not be discouraged, as long as we are one."